2005 Acura RL

2. Acura RL
The all-new Acura RL continues Honda's formula of basing its sedans on the same transverse-engine, front-drive architecture that made its Civic a success 30 years ago. But with the need for ever more horsepower to match the mid-luxury sport-sedan competition, Honda adopted all-wheel drive. More than just a foul-weather friend, the RL's Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive helps compensate for the car's nose-heavy weight balance on dry roads, too. It varies drive torque front to rear and side to side on the rear wheels to enhance stability. An industry first, electromagnetic clutches engage planetary gears in the rear differential to overdrive the outside rear wheel during hard cornering, reducing understeer. The car grips curves like it's on rails.

What all-wheel drive giveth in handling, it taketh away in added weight and complexity. Acura's 300-horse, 3.5-liter V-6 is the most powerful engine in our test group, but it didn't feel that way. The RL suffered the longest stopping distances and the widest curb-to-curb turning diameter. The electric steering lacks crispness and is on the doughy side. The engine gets somewhat thrashed when wound out. Don't blame the RL's portliness on girth. Acura slashed inches out of the new car's length only to pinch rear-seat legroom in the process.

Where the previous RL was an underperforming wallflower with faux Lexus LS 400 overtones, the new flagship aims to reassert Acura's technological leadership. Unfortunately, the new RL's exterior looks undistinguished compared with the rear-drive competition and lacks the brilliance of lesser Acura sedans like the Alfa Romeo-esque TL and TSX. The RL's short dash-to-axle perspective and large front overhang scream front-drive Accord-on-steroids.

Settle into the interior, however, and the outlook brightens considerably. There, enveloped in a rich array of perforated leather, nickel accents, and genuine curly maple wood trim, the driver can infotain himself silly with standard OnStar, XM Radio with real-time traffic link, navigation with voice recognition, GPS-linked, solar-sensing climate control, hands-free Bluetooth wireless interface, and Bose surround-sound DVD audio, all accessed by an iDrive-like center-stack-mounted interface dial. Integration of the various electronics is the best of the test group, but it's often difficult to read and manipulate the nav screen in bright sunlight.